Product Review: Seaclone 100 Protein Skimmer

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Reviewer name: SnakeBlitz33 (Seth)
Date Reviewed: 01/22/09
Product Name: Seaclone 100 skimmer
Date Purchased: (01/2002)
Approximate Cost: ~$100
Features: Turbo-venturi air injection system, "extra large" skimmer cup. Vortex Reaction chamber for "cyclone" action. Hangs on your aquarium or sump. Contains a Maxi-Jet 1200 powerhead with sponge filter and airline tubing. Rated for aquariums up to 100 gallons. 3"x18"tall.
Benefits: removes organic and inorganic waste from the aquarium and increases water quality.
Pros: It's Cheap, ok on a budget. It's made of clear acrylic which you do not notice hanging off the back of the aquarium. Creates a cool "vortex" type of action that is neat to watch.
Cons: The intake sponge can get clocked and prevent the unit from fully functioning. The unit will sometimes not skim out any skimmate, and other times when tuned just right will skim out a lot. It's not very reliable. There is no way to adjust water level output.
Tips and Tricks: Keep this unit clean at all times. Remove the sponge pre-filter or else you will have too many problems. Sometimes the powerhead needs to be cleaned, or else the water level will drop and nothing will skim. Protein skimmers work better with a higher salinity (1.026)
Mods: Some mods exist such as the once in the next post. They are worth considering, but will take some time to complete. The mods listed below is a quote from usmc121581 on another forum.
Variations: Seaclone 150
Personal Opinion: I do not like this skimmer, personally. I have got it to work every now and then efficiantly, but it requires a lot of maintenance.
Recommend this product? No. There are much better skimmers out there for about $20 more.
Product rating: 2.5
1=worst 10=best
swf.com has it? No.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Introduction
The Seaclone is not that bad of a skimmer. Considering its price and power consumption it is one of the better low-end models. Many reefers say it is useless and doesn't skim (if at all) as much as their Turboflotor,etc but that's like comparing apples to oranges. This is an unfair comparison since the Seaclone only uses a Maxi-Jet 1200 for both water flow and bubble generation and is about 1/4 the cost.
In an effort to avoid any confusion the terminology used in this write-up is as follows. The inner tube is the 1" diameter riser at the centre of the skimmer. The intermediate tube is the 2-3/4" +/- diameter tube that separates the reaction chamber from the outflow channel.
The Basic Tasks of Modification
There are three basic tasks that can individually enhance a Seaclone's performance.
1) Replace the stock air flow adjustment end cap and replace with a air adjustment valve. The air flow adjustment endcap that the Seaclone comes with is the item that frustrates many hobbyists. It is not meant to be used the way it needs to be and is obviously a cost saving measure by the manufacturer. Opened too wide the Maxi-Jet generates too much bubbles and inadequate flowrate. There is also a point where too much air will decrease the suction of the water pump hence reducing both the water flow rate and bubble generation to nearly zero. Don't open the cap enough and the water flow becomes too high and flushes the bubbles down to the outflow channel and into your display tank. Hence a good air adjustment valve is needed to control the bubble generation and water flow rate.
2) Reduce the inner most riser tube's length to approximately 2-1/2" to 3" in length. This can be accomplished by pulling out the inner tube with a pair of needle nose pliers after you have gently rock the tube back and forth with your fingers. It should come loose without breaking. Take your time with this task because if you do break the inner tube you will have a very tough time clearing the base of broken acrylic. Unless you have very small hands that can fit in the skimmer. Reaction time is one of the main factors in protein skimming and the stock Seaclone has very little of this. The inner tube extends too high and is too narrow in diameter offering very little bubble and water mixing and contact time. Cutting this inner tube down in length effectively utililizes the volume of the intermediate tube as a reaction chamber. The intermediate tube has a much larger diameter hence cross sectional area and inversely the flow rate. The flow of water through the reaction chamber is greatly reduced, allowing for a greater contact time.
3) Seal the base of the collection cup to the top of the intermediate tube. The simplest method I came up with is by taking a plain old rubber glove and cutting the fingers off. Then rolling the glove to form a O-ring shape. A portion of the air from the bubble generation does not exit the skimmer via the foam collection cup. Sealing the base of the cup to the top flange of the intermediate tube forces all the air to flow through the cup. This increased air flow helps push the foam up to be collected.
Another Modification Worth Considering
Reduce the height of the riser tube in the collection cup. The skimmate that the Seaclone generates is quite dark when compared to that produced by high-end skimmers. The main reason for this is the difference in height between the water column/foam interface and the top of the skimmate overflow tube in the collection cup. This distance is far too much for the foam to travel for this low power skimmer. The Maxi-Jet simply doesn't generate enough foam and air to blow the skimmate up such a tall dry column. I way that I did this was with a hand held cutting tool(Dremal). You have to do this slow as there is no guide availible to help cut it. Also the acrylic will heat up and melt on the cutting blade. Take your time with this step. I cut about a 1/2" off. Since making these modifications I have had to empty the collection once and it has not even been 24hrs since I modified it.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Please keep in mind that the above post about the mod is not my words. If you type them into google, you will find them somewhere else. Thank you for reading!
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
This was the first skimmer I owned and came down to yeah I hated it. It was cheap -- so I bought it.
I agree about the sponge, unreliable skimming... ended up throwing it away and buying a coralife 125 for literaly 30 bucks more.
I did like the vortex but what a pain to try and use and long break in period and added micro bubbles to my tank.
out of 10? on a good day MAYBE a 4... on a bad day... a 1 -- so overall 1.1
 
O

otterball182

Guest
I bought this as my first skimmer.... If you want to buy a skimmer.... just spend the extra like 40-50 bucks.
The skimmer worked great for about a week.. then failed.
awful.
I use a little more reliable coralife however it is slightly tempermental.
 
culp

culp

Active Member
i got it as a gift when i first set up my tank. never liked it. don't waste time with it and get yourself a real skimmer.
 
youngskywalker

youngskywalker

Member
Snake,
It sounds like you know your stuff so I will ask you about this. I think I may have an idea on what part of my problem has been with my aquarium. I had a 55 gallon aquarium and had no issues. When I moved up to my 75 gallon I had nothing but issues. The LPS I bought my skimmer from sold it to me stating it was great for a 55. When I moved to my 75 he said it was still great for my 75. I shut it down a year ago and started to get some numbers together to restart it. When I did I asked what type of skimmer did he sell me and he said it was his own that he makes. Then he replied the closest thing to it is a CPR. If I am reading it correctly it is only good for 60 gallons. Does that sound right. I was looking at a descent in expensive skimmer to help it. What do you think about the Sea Clone 100 to do so. It sounds like a lot of people beat up on it.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A seaclone is a waste of time and money.

Try something better and rated for a plus one of your system like a reef octopus BH100.
 
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